PRESIDENT Bush is now putting his entire presidency at risk, thanks to incompetence by his staff – and his own I-know-best stubbornness on the port furor.

Bush has landed fellow Republicans in Congress with a nightmare choice: They can create a diplomatic incident by blocking the United Arab Emirates takeover of ports like New York, or they can commit political suicide.

“No member of Congress is going to risk a TV ad run by their opponent showing Arab street thugs burning American flags and waving AK-47s superimposed over port icons like the Statue of Liberty,” says a veteran Republican strategist.

No wonder both House and Senate Republicans yesterday predicted that Bush will lose big-time if he tries to veto a bill to block the port takeover – every Democrat will vote to override his veto and so will most or all Republicans.

“If the president vetoes it and the veto is overridden, it certainly is going to weaken his presidency,” said House Homeland Security chairman Peter King (R-L.I.), normally one of Bush’s top go-to guys in Congress.

Said independent pollster Scott Rasmussen: “Even through the worst political storms of his administration, the president’s national security credentials have been his trump card. I am surprised he is risking those credentials on this issue.”

Yes, the UAE feels insulted. But Bush is stoking the flames by claiming only anti-Arab bigots oppose the takeover.

Unfortunately for Bush, the UAE isn’t likely to do a Miers and voluntarily withdraw to protect him. And Republicans aren’t going to commit political suicide.